Once a technology that looked promising but failed to take off, tablets are now invading stores on a seemingly daily basis. Thanks largely to the debut and popularity of the iPad, various manufacturers are now looking to make people even more mobile by unleashing these portable computers of sorts to a broad demographic. As a realtor, these devices could improve your productivity, so which one is right for you?
The elephant in the room is of course the iPad, arguably the catalyst that has lead to the tablet proliferation. The most recent version of the iPad dubbed simply the iPad 2 is a very user friendly and light device that has a number of useful programs (apps) for productivity, more than any other in fact. While the device shines thanks to its speed and multiple apps, you may not like the fact that most of its connections are proprietary and the camera quality is poor. The latter may make a difference if you intend to do any video chatting with a fellow realtor or a client. Customization is also limited to changing the backgrounds.
You may have seen the commercials for the Motorola XOOM, another tablet which has come closest to competing evenly with the iPad. Much like with mobile phones running Android, the Motorola XOOM allows for deep customization and works impeccably with Google's numerous products, a major plus if you're a realtor who relies on services like Gmail or Google Docs. The device packs hefty specs but they come at a cost to the weight of the device.
Research in Motion is best known for its venerable Blackberry phones but it just recently launched the Blackberry Playbook. If you're familiar with the phones, you know the Playbook has nearly unparalleled messaging and serious enterprise capabilities. The device is considered to be pricey relative to its seven inch size and the apps available are very small compared to the iPad or XOOM.
If you have yet to take the plunge on a tablet, don't be too impatient. The fierce competition means that much like smartphones these days, a new and better tablet is appearing virtually every other week.
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